CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS
119 MEMORIAL DAYS:
STILL SEEKING CIVIL WAR VETERAN ‘S GRAVE SITE
May 30, 2011. Another Memorial Day. Actually, the 143rd Memorial Day since the commemoration for Civil War veterans began as Decoration Day in 1868.
On May 5.1868, General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic declared in General Order No. 11 that: The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.
That May 30th, flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery to honor the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers.
The commemoration’s purpose began to change when, after World War I, observances began to honor all those who sacrificed their lives in the service of their countrys’ wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May.
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One-hundred forty-three years later, two questions persist:
119 Memorial Days: Still Seeking Civil War Veteran’s Gravesite
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CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS
119 MEMORIAL DAYS:
STILL SEEKING CIVIL WAR VETERAN ‘S GRAVE SITE
May 30, 2011. Another Memorial Day. Actually, the 143rd Memorial Day since the commemoration for Civil War veterans began as Decoration Day in 1868.
On May 5.1868, General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic declared in General Order No. 11 that: The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.
That May 30th, flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery to honor the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers.
The commemoration’s purpose began to change when, after World War I, observances began to honor all those who sacrificed their lives in the service of their countrys’ wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
One-hundred forty-three years later, two questions persist: